Grand Jury Could Decide on Ferguson Shooting in October

Ingram Publishing/Thinkstock(FERGUSON, Mo.) — The grand jury looking into the Ferguson, Missouri police shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown could take up to two months to hear all the evidence and decide whether or not to indict the police officer, the St. Louis County prosecutor said on Wednesday.

Brown, 18, was shot and killed by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9. Protesters have been angrily calling for Wilson’s arrest and indictment since that day.

Prosecutor David McCullough said that though the grand jury could begin hearing evidence in the case Wednesday, “our target date is the middle of October” for wrapping up the evidence and asking the jury to decide whether to charge Wilson. Grand juries typically meet one day a week.

The news came as protesters and police faced off again in Ferguson overnight, with a thrown water bottle briefly reigniting the turmoil, but authorities are hopeful the unrest in the St. Louis suburb is reaching a turning point.

Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson, speaking at an early-morning news conference, thanked volunteers, clergy and community activists for helping to quell the discontent that has lingered since the shooting.

“They had a calming influence on the younger people,” Johnson said. “Tonight, we saw a different dynamic.”

Attorney General Eric Holder is scheduled to arrive in Ferguson Wednesday to meet with FBI and Department of Justice officials working the case.

Holder addressed the situation in an editorial for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “Our investigation into this matter will be full, it will be fair, and it will be independent,” Holder wrote. “And beyond the investigation itself, we will work with the police, civil rights leaders, and members of the public to ensure that this tragedy can give rise to new understanding — and robust action — aimed at bridging persistent gaps between law enforcement officials and the communities we serve.”